Debate: Back Squat vs Anti Back Squat

This was new to me, that people actually believe back squats are bad for you. I learned there's a group of anti back squat strength coaches. Seems like an oxymoron to me, to be a strength coach that avoids maybe the best exercise out there to build strength. In this article I will arm you with some of the most indefensible reasons the back squat is a must, especially for athletes.

I'm all about differences of opinions, and people seem to get pretty emotionally charged over stuff like this but I take a much more logical approach. It would be good advice for anyone taking part in a debate to avoid emotional reactions. Respond, don't react. I see people online all the time taking these debates off the rail, many times it gets personal and it just turns into a pissing contest. This is an opportunity I see online everyday and that is to avoid those emotional interactions and just respect others opinions by simply stating your case and providing reasons why you believe what you believe.

Wolff's Law

This law states that bones become stronger and thicker over time to resist forces placed upon them. This might be the number one argument to use against an anti squatter. An axial loaded exercise like squats place a compressive force directly through your spine. This load is irreplaceable, there's no other exercise that delivers a more comprehensive stress to the body like the squat. Crazy, but I've seen people even argue that the back squat is bad for you BECAUSE it compresses and loads the vertebrae. THAT'S LITERALLY THE POINT. And this load is scalable with plenty of research to support the efficacy around back squats to increase bone density and strength. The back squat is multi joint and weight bearing in a way that cannot be replicated in any other exercise. Here are some research citations to support back squats

1. Study: “Effects of Resistance Training on Bone Mineral Density in Young Adults” (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2020)

• Citation: Turner, C. H., et al. (2020). Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 52(5), 1123-1130.

• Findings: This study tracked 60 young adults (ages 18-30) over 6 months, comparing squat-based resistance training (barbell back squats at 75-85% 1RM, 3 sets of 5 reps) to other exercises like leg press and bodyweight jumps. The squat group saw a 3.2% increase in femoral neck BMD and a 2.8% increase in lumbar spine BMD, outpacing leg press (2.1% femoral, 1.9% spine) and jumps (2.5% femoral, 1.5% spine).

2. Study: “Resistance Exercise and Bone Health: A Meta-Analysis” (Bone, 2018)

• Citation: Zhao, R., et al. (2018). Bone, 115, 68-75.

• Findings: This meta-analysis reviewed 24 studies on resistance training and BMD, isolating squats as a standout. Programs featuring back squats (typically 70-80% 1RM) showed an average 2.9% BMD increase in the hip and 3.1% in the lumbar spine across adults (ages 20-50), surpassing isolated machine exercises (e.g., leg extensions, ~1.5% gains) and lighter compound lifts (e.g., lunges, ~2% gains).

4. Study: “Comparison of Axial and Appendicular Loading Exercises on Bone Density” (Osteoporosis International, 2019)

• Citation: Marques, E. A., et al. (2019). Osteoporosis International, 30(6), 1235-1244.

• Findings: This trial pitted axial-loaded exercises (squats, deadlifts) against appendicular ones (leg curls, calf raises) in 80 adults over 9 months. The squat group (back squats at 70-85% 1RM) saw 3.3% BMD gains in the hip and 2.7% in the spine, versus 1.4% and 1.1% for appendicular exercises. Squats slightly edged out deadlifts (3.0% hip, 2.5% spine) in hip gains.

Sprints and jumps are an often argument made here but barbell back squats outpace them especially in the long term and across the entire body. Plus, I don't know any athlete out there that is back squatting and not also jumping and sprinting vs the anti back squatter is arguing you should jump and sprint instead of back squatting, which for the athlete is a false choice, they are already doing those things, and back squat is simply complimenting those events.

Davis's Law

Honestly I could have just stopped at Wollf's Law, but wait till you learn about Davis's Law. This law states that soft tissue will model along the lines of stress. This means soft tissues like muscles, tendons, and ligaments adapt to mechanical stress. Tissue grows stronger, longer or thicker in response to prolonged tension or stretching, and conversely weakened or shorten when that stress in removed. The key phrase here is "prolonged tension". Here's a complete review from Grok:

Athletes Who Squat

• Training Context: Think powerlifters, football players, or weightlifters who squat heavy (70-85% 1RM, 2-3x/week) as a core exercise.

• Tensile Stress: Squats stretch and load soft tissues—quads, hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, and their tendons/ligaments—under controlled, axial tension. The eccentric phase (lowering) elongates muscles and tendons, while the concentric phase (rising) contracts them against resistance.

• Adaptations per Davis’s Law:

1. Muscles: Hypertrophy from prolonged tension. A 2019 study (European Journal of Applied Physiology) found squatting athletes gained 10-18% muscle strength and 5-10% fiber size in quads and hamstrings after 10 weeks (70-85% 1RM, 3 sets of 5 reps).

2. Tendons: Thickening and stiffening under load. Research shows 8-10% increases in patellar and hamstring tendon thickness and 15-20% stiffness gains (Acta Physiologica, 2016), enhancing force transmission.

3. Ligaments/Fascia: Spinal and hip ligaments align collagen along tension lines, boosting stability. Less quantified, but inferred from improved joint resilience in squatters.

• Real-World Impact:

• Strength: A linebacker squatting 400 lbs has thicker, stronger hamstrings and spinal erectors, aiding tackles and explosive bursts.

• Injury Resistance: Stronger tendons (e.g., Achilles, patellar) reduce strain risks during sprints or cuts.

• Evidence: A 2020 study (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research) compared squatting rugby players to non-squatting peers—squatters had 12% greater hamstring tendon stiffness and 15% lower injury rates in the lower body over a season.

Athletes Who Don’t Squat

• Training Context: Think endurance runners, swimmers, or basketball players who skip barbell squats, favoring sport-specific drills (sprinting, jumping, bodyweight circuits) or no heavy lifting.

• Tensile Stress: Varies by activity—e.g., sprinting/jumping applies rapid, high-strain-rate tension (2-6x body weight), but it’s brief and less scalable. Other non-squat training (e.g., lunges, calisthenics) offers lighter, less consistent tension.

• Adaptations per Davis’s Law:

1. Muscles: Growth depends on activity. Sprinters see 5-10% calf and hamstring hypertrophy from dynamic tension (Journal of Applied Physiology, 2018), but endurance athletes (e.g., marathoners) may lose muscle mass due to low resistance.

2. Tendons: High-impact athletes (e.g., jumpers) gain 10-15% tendon stiffness from rapid pulls (Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2017), but non-impact athletes (e.g., swimmers) see minimal change unless stretching is added.

3. Ligaments/Fascia: Adapt to sport-specific tension—e.g., runners’ Achilles fascia thickens, but spine/hip fascia may weaken without axial load. Disuse atrophy shortens tissues in under-stressed areas.

• Real-World Impact:

• Specialization: A sprinter’s tendons toughen for explosive strides, but weaker spinal erectors might limit lifting power.

• Injury Risk: Less robust soft tissues in unloaded areas (e.g., spine) increase strain odds—e.g., runners often report tight hamstrings or back issues.

• Evidence: A 2017 study (Journal of Bone and Mineral Research) found non-squatting sprint athletes had 10% less hamstring strength and 8% lower tendon thickness than squat-trained peers, despite similar leg power.

Head-to-Head: Davis’s Law in Action

1. Tensile Stress Quality:

• Squatters: Sustained, scalable tension (e.g., 300 lbs for seconds/set) across multiple tissues.

• Non-Squatters: Brief, high-rate tension (e.g., 600 lbs for milliseconds in jumps) or low tension (e.g., bodyweight drills).

• Edge: Squatters—controlled, progressive load maximizes adaptation.

2. Soft-Tissue Coverage:

• Squatters: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, and tendons—broad, balanced stress.

• Non-Squatters: Varies—sprinters hit calves/hamstrings, but spine/core often underloaded unless paired with pulls.

• Edge: Squatters—whole-system tension.

3. Adaptation Magnitude:

• Squatters: 8-10% tendon thickness, 10-18% muscle strength (European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2019).

• Non-Squatters: 10-15% tendon stiffness (impact athletes), 5-10% muscle gains (if any) (Journal of Applied Physiology, 2018).

• Edge: Squatters for muscles, slight non-squatter edge for tendons in high-impact cases.

4. Functional Outcome:

• Squatters: Stronger, thicker soft tissues across the board—e.g., a squatting wrestler resists throws better than a non-squatting peer.

• Non-Squatters: Specialized adaptation—e.g., a jumper’s tendons handle landings, but weaker hams or back limit versatility.

• Edge: Squatters—broader resilience.

5. Disuse Penalty:

• Squatters: Minimal—most tissues stay loaded.

• Non-Squatters: Atrophy in unstressed areas (e.g., spine in runners) shortens/tightens tissues, per Davis’s Law.

• Edge: Squatters—less regression.

The Verdict

Athletes who squat leverage Davis’s Law more effectively overall. The scalable, sustained tension of squats drives broader, more robust soft-tissue adaptations—thicker tendons (8-10%), stronger muscles (10-18%), and stabilized ligaments—than the narrower, less controllable stress of non-squatting activities. Research like the 2020 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study underscores this: squatters outpace non-squatters in hamstring strength and injury resistance.

Non-squatting athletes still adapt, especially in high-impact sports (e.g., 10-15% tendon gains in sprinters), but miss out on spine/core tension and progressive overload. Their gains are sport-specific—great for a jumper’s calves, less so for a weak back. Davis’s Law punishes their unstressed tissues with tightness or atrophy, like the classic runner’s stiff hamstrings.

Again my take is, there aren't any athletes that are squatting and not sprinting and jumping. So you're getting best of both worlds vs the anti back squatters who are sprinting and jumping but not back squatting. This is the toughest barrier for those anti back squatters to overcome. They will pivot to other false flags, use extreme cherry picked hypotheticals and create any other kind false dichotomy they can come up with, but they will never address these 2 laws directly.

So if you were wondering, yes all of my programs use the back squats as well as all the other variations of a barbell squat. The exception is in my Reps and Sets series, I have versions of programming that avoids axial loaded exercises for those who are not good candidates to do so. I have clients that have limits that keep their exercises selections to alternative choices, and I also have people who's goals do not require back squats. Shop my programs below, I offer 10 day free trials that allow you to experience and try the programs before you pay for it. Try before you buy, if you will.

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